Protective head covering

ABSTRACT

The invention modifies conventional head coverings by adding flexible material. This material is stored and sealed within a pouch within the top of the head covering except during use. The pouch is sealed by a zipper or other closure apparatus when the flexible material is stored within the pouch. The center of the material is attached to the center of the interior of the pouch to permit full deployment of the material from the pouch. The material can be sized and shaped to enclose the either the head, the head and neck, or the head, neck and body. The material can also be selected to provide a variety of barriers useful for hunting and fishing such as providing camouflage for a hunter, transparency or other useful characteristics for outdoor use. The barrier provided by the flexible material, while permanently attached to the head covering, is stored out of the way within the pouch when not in use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a regular application filed under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a) claiming priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) (1), of provisional application Ser. No. 60/598,036, previously filed Aug. 2, 2004 under 35 U.S.C. § 111(b).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention provides head covering for an individual which also provides protection and a variety of other functions for the user which are particularly useful while hunting, fishing or engaged in a variety of other outdoor activities. This protection is provided by flexible material when is permanently attached to the head covering, is stored out of the way within a pouch in the top of the head covering when not in use, and is deployed only during use.

2. Description of Related Art

There are numerous head coverings available in the art which provide a protection for the user from inset pests using netting material which hangs down around the head typically from a hat or cap. However none of these head coverings have a provision for concealing the netting within an enclosure within the hat or cap when not in use or for providing a variety of areas of the body being covered. Since the only time the protection is required is while outdoors when exposed to insects or other outdoor conditions including the environment and hunting, this requires removing and storing the protection separate from the hat with the possibility of misplacing the item. The capability of covering a variety of parts of the body provides a range of covering options.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A head covering with additional flexible material attached which can provide protection and a variety of other functions for a user which is useful when engaging in outdoor activity such as hunting or fishing. This material is enclosed and sealed within a pouch in the top of the head covering except during use. The flexible material can be sized and shaped to enclose portions of the body centered on the head such as the head itself, the head and neck, or the head, neck and shoulders depending upon the extent and outline of the material. The material can also be selected to not only provide protection for various parts of the wearer from mosquitos and other flying insect, but to also provide a variety of other desirable functions which are useful for various outdoor activities. An example of a desirable function for hunting is camouflage to provide better concealment of the hunter wearer from the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become more manifest to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a hat with the opening in an open position;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a hat with the opening in an open position;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a hat with the opening in an open position with the netting deployed through the opening;

FIG. 4 shows netting deployed around a hat;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a cap with the opening in an open position showing netting located within the enclosure; and

FIG. 6 shows the cross-section of a hat with the location of the pouch and material attachment point designated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The illustrations of FIGS. 1-4 and 6 show one embodiment of this head covering invention utilizing a hat 10, and FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment utilizing a cap 20. Hat 10 has an opening 12 extending linearly from the front to the back of the hat across the outside top portion of the hat. Opening 12 has a sealing means for sealing described later.

A pouch 16, formed within hat 10, extends inward from opening 12. Flexible material 18 is selected which is suitable for a variety of purposes including: netting for protection from insects, a pattern for camouflage, a particular color for concealment, and transparency for better vision. Other desired purposes can be provided, the primary restriction being that the material must be flexible and must be storable within the pouch. Only one point of material 18 is attached to a portion of hat 10 within pouch 16 to secure the material to hat 10. This is illustrated in FIG. 6. This shows single attachment point 16A for material 18 and pouch 16 essentially which are both essentially centered. Attachment point 16A permits packing material 18 into pouch 16 using the minimum amount of volume while permitting full deployment of the material around the user and centered on the head. The means for securing material 18 within pouch 16 can be merely the single attachment point 16A as shown between the two parts, but could utilize a flexible line, not shown, attached to and extending between these same points on the material and pouch if further withdrawal of the material is desired.

While zipper 14 is shown here as a means of sealing opening 12, other means can be used including opposing velcro surfaces, buttons and button holes or any other arrangement since the material 18 need only be restrained within pouch 16.

Material 18 can be shaped to cover only the head and neck of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 4, or to cover the upper portion of the body, as shown in FIG. 3. In the latter case, appropriate shoulder cut-outs could be provided to better conform to material 18 to the shape of the body. Material 18 is simply deployed outward in all directions from attachment point 16A within pouch 16 by first utilizing zipper 14 to open opening 12. Material 18 is then simply pulled through opening 12 and then downward over the user. Material 18 is then positioned over the body as determined by its shape and size. To replace material 18 within pouch 16 this process is simply reversed. The particular coverage described above is merely illustrative since material 18 and its shape can readily be selected to obtain any desired shape and coverage.

Cap 20 has an opening 22, a zipper 24, a pouch 26 and flexible material 28 which can utilize the same variety of materials, the same arrangement, and the same shapes as those described above for hat 10. These will provide the same results for cap 20 as those described above for hat 10. The deployment and reinsertion of material 28 from and to pouch 26 of cap 20 will also be identical to that of material 19 from and to pouch 16 of cap 10.

The above embodiments are illustrative of similar arrangements for any head covering. The pouch, flexible material and sealing means can be adapted to essentially any head covering. The characteristics of the flexible material will change depending upon the particular environment encountered to be protected against or the hunting or fishing techniques employed and are therefore essentially endless in the possibilities. Therefore the above are just a few examples of the modifications and changes that are possible, and would readily occur to one skilled in the art, therefore it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.

It will be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, material, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is as defined in the language of the appended claims. 

1. Wearable protective apparatus for outdoor use comprising: a) headgear means for covering the head; b) a pouch arranged to store a predetermined quantity of flexible material located at the upper surface of the headgear means, the pouch having an essentially linear opening located and arranged such that, when the headgear means is placed on a user, the opening will open upward extending through the upper surface of the headgear means along a line essentially extending along the centerline of the user's head from a point near the front of the headgear means to a point near the back, the opening having sealing means for sealing the opening; c) a predetermined quantity of flexible material means sized and shaped to fit within the pouch being sized and shaped to cover a predetermined portion of the user which is essentially centered on the user's head, the material being selected to provide a barrier between the user and the environment having a predetermined characteristic; and d) attachment means for attaching a preselected point of the flexible material means near its center to a preselected point within the pouch interior near its center.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said sealing means comprises a zipper.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said sealing means comprises opposing mating velcro material.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said attachment means comprises a flexible member extending between the preselected point on the flexible material and the preselected point in the interior of the pouch.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said attachment means comprises a flexible member extending between a preselected point on the flexible material and a preselected point in the interior of the pouch.
 6. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said headgear means comprises a hat.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said headgear means comprises a hat.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said headgear means comprises a cap.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said headgear means comprises a cap. 